


She-Ra, Luz, and the Witches of Power

by transparentTemptation



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Canon Crossover, Canon Era, Canon Rewrite, Canon Universe, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dimension Travel, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Magic, Magical Artifacts, Parallel Universes, Portals, Rebellion, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Screw Destiny, Title Change, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transparentTemptation/pseuds/transparentTemptation
Summary: Eda can't say no to Luz, and so lets Luz in on the details of her secret project: a new portal to an alternate reality she discovered - Etheria.Luz can't say no to her curiosity, and so two dimensions are thrown onto a convoluted new path.(Previous title: A New Portal)
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 63
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This concept popped into my head and it's not going to leave until I write it.

Luz was waiting excitedly at the bottom of the stairs, holding a sheet of paper, as Eda rounded the corner, still in her pajamas.

“Hey, Eda! Hey, check this out!”

“Huh?” She rubbed an eye sleepily as she trudged down the stairs.

“Watch this!”

Luz brought her hand down on the piece of paper with a clap, and it glowed blue as it rose off her hand and transformed into a ball of snow. Then, she smacked the bottom of it, and the snow was engulfed by flame, leaving only a small puff of steam and a puddle on the floor.

“Did you see that!? I put two glyphs on the same page. Pretty clever, huh?”

Eda yawned and tousled Luz’s hair. “Hm, yeah, it was great, kid. Make sure to mop that water up.”

Luz followed Eda into the kitchen wearing a pout. “I thought you’d be more impressed…”

“I am impressed, it was a pretty neat trick. I’m just tired is all.”

“Is it the curse?” Luz pulled a stool up to the table and sat with her head leaned on her hand, watching with concern as Eda retrieved her mug and a pitcher of apple blood from the fridge.

“No, it’s not the curse. This time.” She poured herself a glass and took a sip, closing the fridge with her hip after putting the pitcher back. “I was up late working.”

“Working? I thought the closest thing you had to a job was being a criminal.”

“Hey, I run a small business.”

“Illegally.”

“Got me there. But no, I’m working on a… personal project. Though, it could make me rich, somehow.”

“Ooh, sounds mysterious.” Luz wiggled her fingers for emphasis.

“Eh, it’s nothing you’re not familiar with.”

“Wait, I know about it? Is it, uh… are you raising manticorns in the tower? Or making illusions that make it look like someone’s in their underwear? Or, or- ooh! I bet you’re growing venomous plants.”

Eda waited to respond until she had finished taking a long drink from her mug. “Um, no, ew, and lame. Trust me, it’s not something those Hexside straight-shots have taught you.”

“So, garbage slugs?”

“Also no. Really, Luz- hey, wait, why am I even humoring this guessing game? I was trying to be cryptic.”

“Does that mean you’re  _ not _ going to tell me?”

“Ah, what the heck. Sure. If-”

Luz jumped out of her seat. “Really!?”

“ _ If _ you promise not to cause any trouble.”

“I will try my best!” she answered with an exaggerated salute.

“Close enough. Follow me.” Eda put her nearly-finished apple blood on the counter and started to walk back towards the stairs.

“Where are we going?”

“To the basement.”

“You have a  _ basement _ ?”

“I’m a weird woman hiding from the cops in a magical house in the woods.  _ Of course _ I have a basement.”

At the foot of the stairs, Eda stopped and lifted her open hand into the air. After a few mostly-unconcerning crashes, her magic staff whipped into her hand. Grasping it with both hands, she brought it down in front of her, the bottom of it thumping loudly against the first step.

Luz watched in awe as the planks of the stairs began to disassemble themselves, revealing a steep drop into an open corridor, with a set of stone stairs at the far end curving further underground.

She stuck her head over the ledge, peering down into the brick-lined cavern. “How do we-?”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was being pulled back by her hood, only to see one of the floating planks barely miss her nose as it plunged downward.

“Geez, kid, be careful! And more patient.”

By the time Luz realized what had just happened, the boards were settling into place to join with the stairway at the bottom of the corridor.

“Whoa. Magic stairs.”

“Yep, it’s pretty slick. And no one’s getting in without this guy.” Eda patted the stationary Owlbert on the end of her staff. “Well, come on now.”

They were nearly at the bottom of the wooden stairs when they heard from the top of what used to be a staircase, but was now just a two-story drop into the basement, King shouting.

“Oh, come on! Eda, can you put the stairs back?”

“In a minute, King! I’m showing Luz my project.”

“Fine. I’m going back to bed, then.”

Turning at the landing into the basement, Luz was greeted by what appeared to be a magical workshop. The walls were made of stone, and along one was a long wooden counter with a variety of sharp drilling, nailing, and sawing implements mounted to a board on the wall above it. The far wall was obscured by a floor-to-ceiling shelf that was filled with - well, asides from all the junk - a variety of outlandishly colored woods. Some glowed faintly as they radiated with magical energy. The remaining walls were taken up by small workbenches, miscellaneous stools, and piles of scrap material.

None of that, however, was what drew an amazed “whoa” from Luz. Rather, at the center of the room was an intricately designed door held up by a simple frame. The wood wasn’t the same familiar mahogany hue Luz knew, instead being made of an otherworldly blue-grey wood. It was, however, still unmistakable. The glaring yellow eye and ostentatious golden keyhole made sure of that.

“A portal?”

“Sure is. Ain’t it beautiful?”

Luz walked up to trace her hand along the curves of the meticulously carved wood. “It is.”

“Took me absolutely ages. Of course, it’s still not completely done.”

“Does it work yet?”

“Oh, it works alright. It’s just stuck in that frame. Summoning it with the key has been giving me some trouble.”

Eda picked up a golden key that hung by a ribbon near the bottom of the stairs and pushed the eye button on its grip. Luz stumbled back in surprise as the door shook in place for a moment.

“See? Doesn’t go anywhere. But I’ll get it before long.”

“Wow.” Luz was once again feeling the patterns of the door. Flourishes in the wood spun off into smaller carvings of flowers and creatures she had never seen before. Even after all her time on the Boiling Isles, the images looked alien.

Once Luz had suitably admired Eda’s handiwork, she looked back at her mentor, who was smugly smiling, key dangling from the ribbon looped around her wrist.

“So, um…” Luz began to ask. “Why do you need another portal? Is it just a backup?”

“Oh, kid, this one doesn’t go to the human realm.”

“Wait, what? Where does it go?”

Eda walked up to the door, resting her palm against it. She took a deep breath before she continued speaking.

“It’s incredible, actually.” It could take a lot to impress Eda, but the awe was already plain to hear on her voice. “It’s not the demon realm  _ or _ the human realm, but a whole new dimension I found. It was a freak coincidence - the kind of thing a master oracle could spend their whole life searching for and never find.” She was now holding the back of her hand to the door, feeling the grain of the wood as she slowly trailed her hand down it. Luz had never seen Eda this entranced by  _ anything _ . “I was looking at just the right moment - the exact  _ second _ when our realms crossed paths.”

Luz was almost completely lost for words. “Wow. What’s it like?”

“Beautiful. There’s  _ magic _ there. The way it flows in their world is strange, but it’s abundant. I can feel it.”

“Magic? Like, our magic?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know anything about how it works. Yet.”

“Whoa.” A moment passed in silence, Luz stunned and Eda lost in thought, until Luz continued, “So, um, where is it?”

“Uh, through the portal, obviously.”

“No, like, what’s it called?”

“Oh, right. Well, I don’t know what the realm is, but they call their planet  _ Etheria _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ending used to be a twist! But with chapter 2 posted, I've actually tagged all the She-Ra stuff, so y'all know what you're getting into!


	2. Chapter 2

Adora delivered a side hook to the punching bag, grunting as she followed it up with a high kick and then effortlessly returned to her original stance. Catra, leaned up against the wall watching, stretched as she pushed herself up. Adora gave the bag two more quick jabs as Catra slinked over and casually wrapped her tail around Adora’s strong bicep.

“C’mon, Adora, it’s our day off and you wanna be training? Can’t you do that when we’re, y’know, actually training?”

“Not if I want to do it alone.”

“I’m here, though.”

Adora wiped the sweat from her forehead, pushing back some stray hairs in the same motion, and looked at Catra. “You know what I mean.”

“Can’t we hang out somewhere that doesn’t smell like sweat?”

“So, somewhere that smells like oil?”

“Exactly. We can just relax.”

“And lounge around all day like you?”

“Um, yes? It’s great.” Catra bent her knees and fell to the ground, catching herself with her elbow before she hit the padded floor. With head propped up on her hand, she said, “Now you try it.”

Adora chuckled, “Catra, that floor is disgusting.”

She smirked deviously. “Are you sure? Get a closer look.”

Catra swung her legs forward, knocking Adora’s feet out from under her. Where Catra landed elegantly and intentionally, Adora fell straight down onto her butt with a thump.

“See? Isn’t this much more comfortable?”

“Oh, you are so dead,” Adora threatened, but her grin betrayed that Catra’s game was working on her. Before Adora could even lift herself from the mat, Catra was on her feet and headed for the door to the locker rooms.

“If you wanna catch me, you’ll have to leave your precious gym!”

“At least let me shower and get changed before you run off!” Adora shouted as she picked herself up off the ground.

“Alright, alright, just come on!” With that, Catra was through the door, Adora trailing behind her.

  
  


Adora emerged from the shower stall already wearing her standard-issue sports bra and boxers, towel slung over her shoulders and damp hair hanging loose.

“Took ya long enough.” Catra was perched on a bench in the locker room, idly batting at her own tail.

“Sorry, the water was actually kind of warm today. It was nice.” Adora rubbed at her wet hair with the towel.

Catra scoffed. “Figures it would be nice on our day off.”

“I know. Guess they’re running the backup generators today.” She took her clothes from the locker and sat behind Catra on the bench while she put her shirt and jacket on.

“They’re probably running ‘em just for you, huh?”

Adora swatted Catra’s shoulder as she stood to put on her pants. “Pshh, yeah, sure.”

“When I run this place, that’s what I’ll do.”

“Mhmm, and definitely not just for yourself, huh?”

“Wouldn’t need to. There’s no way Hordak is taking cold showers.”

“Y’know, I try  _ not _ to think about Hordak showering.”

“Now that I think about it, Shadow Weaver probably doesn’t either.”

“Okay, okay, you can stop.” Adora exhaled sharply as she fastened her belt around her waist. “Alright, I’m ready. Where are we going?”

“You know where we’re going, dummy.”

  
  


They made their way through the labyrinthine-yet-familiar halls up to a high balcony, and from there climbed up to the roof overlooking the whole of the Fright Zone. Its tall, tangled buildings, adorned by pipes with no regard for aesthetics, seemed never ending. Even from their vantage, there was no natural skyline to be found, completely choked out by the towering structures. Far below, if looking hard enough, one could make out the people and robots that roamed the jagged streets, each a small cog in the mechanism that was the Horde. At least this high above it all, the constant smell of grease and hot machinery was faint.

Catra sat cross-legged near the edge while Adora draped her legs over it, casually kicking them back and forth.

“Can’t even sit still when you’re sitting still, can you?” Catra teased.

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” shot back Adora, pinching Catra’s tail as it roamed nearby.

“Hey, sure I can!” She stilled her tail and curled it around Adora’s wrist.

Adora smiled lightly as she continued to swing her legs, looking up toward the metal horizon. She knew that beyond it, in that direction, lay the Whispering Woods, the last thing standing between the Horde and the rebel capital of Brightmoon. It had been a long time since she’d actually seen it - the gnarled, dark trees were only visible from the edge of the Fright Zone, separated from it by a vast expanse of empty, arid land. Catra fixed her view towards the distant woods as well, and they sat silently, looking at what neither could see.

“What do you think it’s like?” Catra finally said, her voice betraying the longing behind the question.

“What what’s like?” Adora asked.

“The Woods. Or just, I dunno, the world.”

“Hm,” Adora thought for a second. “Well, I bet the spiders out there are  _ huge _ .”

Catra tried to hide her visceral reaction to that thought, but the fur on her tail bristled anyways. “No way. If they were, the rebels would be begging us to let them in.”

“The princesses probably ride them, like evil skiffs with legs.”

“Now you’re just trying to mess with me.” Catra pushed jokingly at Adora’s shoulder. “You’re definitely wrong.”

“How would you know?”

“Well, speaking of skiffs…”

“...what are you thinking?”

Adora could see the devious twinkle in Catra’s eye.

“Let’s steal a skiff and check it out!”

“What? No, absolutely not. We’d get in so much trouble.”

“C’monnnn Adora, we’re the best on our team. What’s the worst punishment they could even give us?”

“Do you want an answer? Because Shadow Weaver-”

“Okay, we’ll  _ borrow _ a skiff.” Catra was pleading with Adora with her eyes as well. “We don’t have anywhere to be. We’ll have it back before anyone even notices it’s gone.”

“Fine. But remember, this was  _ your _ idea.”

“As if Shadow Weaver would blame anyone else. Let’s go.”

Catra stood up and lept down to the balcony they had climbed up from in one motion, watching as Adora clambered down by hanging from the ledge. They wound their way back through the cavernous Horde architecture, down to the hall leading to the nearest vehicle bay. In the middle of a whispered argument over whether they should be quiet to avoid attention (as claimed Adora) or if not speaking at all was more suspicious, they turned a corner and spotted someone who was certainly supposed to be there even less than they were.

Poking their head out of a utility closet, but looking away from the pair, was a young person in a purple jacket. Adora and Catra exchanged a silent nod and began to walk faster, careful to keep their footsteps quiet so as to not be noticed. As they were closing in, the person - a girl who couldn’t have been older than 15 - looked back at them. With a yelp, she scrambled back into the closet. Adora and Catra began to run, though they knew the intruder was trapped. 

They made it to the closet just in time to see a grey-blue door with a giant yellow eye fold in on itself and vanish. The girl was nowhere to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this AU diverges before She-Ra even begins. On the Owl House side, the split is sometime before Agony of a Witch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be two chapters, but the second part wasn't long enough to stand alone, so now this is the longest chapter so far!

“Well, we can’t spend all day marveling over it.” Eda hung the golden key back on its hook and started up the stairs.

Luz trailed behind, hands clasped together, pleading, “Can we go can we go can we pleeeeeease go?”

“You wanna go to Etheria?” As she stepped off the top step, she clacked her staff against it and kept walking as the usual staircase reassembled itself.

“Yes please pl-”

“Right now?”

“If that’s okay?”

Eda levitated her apple blood mug back into her hand from the kitchen as she walked to the couch and leaned her staff against it. Laying down, she yawned, “Y’know, I did just wake up.”

“Well, when can we go?”

“Mm, maybe after my nap.”

“But you  _ just  _ said you  _ just  _ woke up.”

“And I should have slept more. Hey, where’s your scroll or whatever?”

“My phone?” Luz pulled it out of her pocket.

“Yeah, that.” Eda yanked the blanket from the foot of the couch up nearly over her head. “Maybe I can teach you a new spell. Record this and see if you can see the glyph.”

Luz tapped at the screen a few times and pointed the camera at Eda. “Okay, it’s going.”

“Great.” Eda pointed a finger at herself and drew a circle in the air, casting a ring of light at her forehead that put her to sleep instantly.

Luz sighed and stopped the recording. Dejected, she went upstairs to find King, who was asleep in a patch of sunlight in the hallway. He roused as she came near, opening one eye to look at her.

“Morning King. The stairs are back.”

“Eh, this spot is comfy enough.” Noticing Luz looked upset, he asked, “You okay?”

Luz lifted her hands into the air to emphasize her frustration. “It’s just, Eda tells me about her portal to another magical world, and then when I ask to go, she goes back to sleep!”

“Isn’t one terrifying fantasy world enough?”

“It  _ was _ until I found out there’s another one waiting downstairs!”

“Sounds rough. Why not just go on your own?”

“I promised Eda I wouldn’t cause any trouble. Besides,” she looked at her phone, “she did give me a new spell to learn.”

Luz decided to return to her room to practice the spell Eda had shown her, and King followed. They chatted while Luz adjusted the video to be able to see the glyph. After slowing down the video and adding a few filters that highlighted the color of Eda’s magic, she was able to faintly make it out. She carefully copied it down to her notebook for reference, then drew it on a new page, which she tore out to actually cast it with. King volunteered as a test subject - being curled up in his bed, he was a vulnerable target for a sleep spell already. When Luz placed the paper against King’s head and tapped it, it vanished into a wisp of yellow light.

“Did it work?” she asked.

King’s snoring was answer enough. With her sleep spell experiment a success and King no longer awake to talk to, Luz was quickly running low on distractions to take her mind off the magical world awaiting under her feet. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the Boiling Isles, she  _ loved _ them. But to know there was even more magic she could discover was overwhelming. She spent some time failing to focus on readings for school, despite the fact that normally any reading on magic held her full attention - which was not an insignificant feat given her school performance in the human realm.

A couple hours had passed in anxious boredom when Luz ventured out of her room for a snack. She grabbed a prawn-apple from the fruit basket in the kitchen, and found Eda still sleeping soundly when she wandered into the living room. Settling down on the floor, she ate her apple quietly as she zoned out while looking at Eda asleep on the couch. At the same time as her eyes wandered to Eda’s staff leaning nearby, King’s suggestion echoed in her head.

And after all, she’d promised Eda she wouldn’t cause trouble, not that she wouldn’t go, right? How much trouble could she possibly get into with just a quick visit? A trip there and back again wouldn't hurt anything. Even then, she had only said she would  _ try her best _ ; sometimes trouble was unavoidable!

Especially when one’s curiosity was as overwhelming as Luz’s.

She opened the front door to offer Hooty her apple core, which he ate in one bite, much to Luz’s disturbance, and then her attention turned to the staff. She sneakily picked it up from where it rested next to Eda and went to the stairs, where she did exactly what Eda had earlier. Sure enough, the staircase began to rearrange itself. Luz quickly returned the staff to where she had gotten it - see, she wasn’t even going to take it with her! She’d learned her lesson about stealing from Eda, and she was going to keep this partial violation of Eda’s trust completely above board.

Luz had to stop herself from stomping down the stairs in excitement. Grabbing the golden key from its spot, she twirled the ribbon around her wrist and stood before the door, taking another moment to admire the incredible craftsmanship - not to mention the incomprehensible level of magical mastery.

Heart racing, Luz inserted the key, turning it until it gave a click that reverberated through her entire arm. She grabbed the knob, twisted it, pulled, and paused before the magical light of the open door. She took a deep breath of the air of the Boiling Isles, and then she stepped through.

Immediately, something very clearly seemed  _ wrong _ . Far from the enchanting magical world that Eda had described with such wonder, Luz found herself in what appeared to be a closet. There were some mops, a handful of haphazardly-stacked crates, and a few bugs and spiders struggling to eke out an existence. Every flat surface she could see was made of drab, sickly-green metal and concrete, and the lighting seemed designed to give everything as disgusting a hue as possible.

Luz stepped further from the portal door hesitantly, not sure what she would find, but she was alone in the tiny room. She worked up the nerve to open the closet door, which slid away when she pushed a button beside it. Peering out of the room, there was only a hallway built entirely in the same ugly style. To her left, the hallway quickly turned a corner, and so Luz fixed her attention in the other direction. The tunnel extended until it reached what she assumed were more sliding doors, but it was difficult to tell from so far. Everything blended together, even the pipes and loose panels of metal that jutted out into the hallway every so often.

There was barely time to  _ begin _ processing what kind of place she must have found herself in when she heard something faintly behind her, in the direction of the bend she had ignored. Turning her head, Luz saw two figures approaching her, both dressed in red - a tall blonde woman, wearing a jacket and with a poof in her hair; and a shorter woman in a skin-tight suit, with some kind of bizarre mask and… cat ears? There was no time to think about it - obviously they were  _ not _ pleased about her being there, as they broke into a sprint the second she saw them. Luz let out an involuntary shout and dove back into the closet, throwing herself through the portal, slamming the door shut behind her, and locking it.

“Edaaaaaaaa!” she shouted as she bounded up the stairs two at a time, not even taking a moment to unloop the key from around her wrist.

Luz came scrambling into the living room, still shouting, and flung herself against Eda, who was sitting bolt-upright but still partially asleep. Words were pouring from Luz’s mouth before Eda could even manage to say, “What happened?”

“Eda oh my gosh I’m so sorry I should have listened to you I went through the portal and it was terrifying there was some kind of gross closet in a creepy green hallway and I don’t know where I was and these two scary-looking ladies tried to catch me and I- I’msosorryplease don’tbe mad-” Luz was beginning to break down into tears, running out of breath as her words became less and less coherent.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop. I’m not mad, but you have to slow down. And  _ calm down _ . You’re safe,” Eda reassured, putting her hand to Luz’s tear-stained cheeks in the way she had learned was affectionate.

Luz sniffled and almost sobbed a couple more times, but managed to draw in a deep breath and stop herself from slipping further into panic.

“There we go. Now then,” Eda continued, “tell me what happened.”

Luz recounted the whole story, leaving out the part where King had partially encouraged her disobedience.

“-and I managed to close the portal and then, well- you know what happens after that.”

“Wow,” Eda was honestly stunned. “Sounds like you got pretty unlucky with your first time through.”

“What do you mean? Doesn’t the portal always go to the same place?”

“You think I wouldn’t have told you that it led to a creepy basement with women who are more determined to catch you than the emperor’s guards? The Etherian side of the portal isn’t bound to any one location until I choose to bind it to one. I still haven’t found a good spot for it. But it sounds like you definitely found the  _ worst _ one!” Eda laughed and slapped her own knee, pleased with her joke.

Luz wiped at her eye, looking less than amused.

Eda cleared her throat. “Sorry. Anyways, every time I’ve been through it’s been mystical forests and beaches of clouds. I didn’t know a place like that even existed there…”

“Do you-” She sniffled. “Do you think you could show me some of the nice places?”

“Hey, of course, kid. And maybe you’ll figure out that Etherian magic, too.”

* * *

“What!?” Catra’s voice was shrill as she toppled a stack of crates, finding nothing behind it. “Where the hell did she go?”   
Adora was pacing back and forth in the tiny room. “I don’t know, it doesn’t make any sense. And what was that thing?”

“Some kind of door? Like, the old kind.”

“Doors don’t just vanish, Catra.”

“Yeah? Well, this one did!” Her claws were bared as she pried the lid from one of the fallen crates. Empty. With a growl, Catra sat on the metal box.

“And why was she here?”

“I don’t know, but this has  _ princess _ written all over it.”

“So the princesses sent a little kid through a magical door to… what, spy on us?”

“Yes? I guess!”

“Can they even do that?”

“Apparently!  _ Someone _ just did.”

Realization dawned on Adora’s face. “We have to tell Shadow Weaver.”

“I know,” Catra said, clearly not pleased about it.

  
  


They found Shadow Weaver in the Black Garnet chamber (or, as Catra called it, her “creepy room”) leaned over her cauldron, which was faintly glowing.

Adora spoke first, “Um, Shadow Weaver? We have something we need to tell you about.”

Shadow Weaver looked up at the pair. “Adora,” and with slightly more malice, “Catra. What is it? I’m very busy, you know.”

“Busy doing what?” Catra asked sarcastically, earning her an elbow jab from Adora.

“We saw something strange.”

The two of them recounted their encounter, being careful to avoid mentioning why they were in that area in the first place. Though they couldn’t see her face, Shadow Weaver’s posture betrayed her growing annoyance.

At the end of the story, she faced Catra directly. “Is that all true?”

“Uh, yeah.” Catra looked annoyed.

Turning to Adora, she asked again, “It is?”

Adora stood up a little straighter before answering, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Disappointing. You know, I expect this behavior from Catra,” Shadow Weaver placed her hand on Adora’s cheek, “but I thought you were better than this.”

“I’m- I’m sorry? I don’t understand.”

“You should know better than to try to trick me with clearly fictitious stories.”

Catra stood up on the tips of her toes for a moment, fur bristling, voice raised an octave. “What? But that’s exactly what we saw.”

The tendrils of fabric and shadow at the bottom of Shadow Weaver’s cloak stood on end as she whipped her gaze back to Catra. “There is no magic in all of Etheria that can do what you have just described. The  _ closest _ is the princess of Brightmoon, but our forces have encountered her, and you have described neither her appearance  _ nor _ the manner in which she does magic.”

Adora tried to interject, “But we-”

“I’ve had enough of your childish games.” Shadow Weaver pointed at the door. “Leave!” 

They left silently, the large metal door of the chamber slamming shut behind them.

“Can you  _ believe _ that?” Catra shouted. “I guess next time we see an intruder we should just keep our mouths shut.”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“Not think about it? The kid’s gone.”

“What if she comes back?”

“Then Shadow Weaver will find out we were right.”

“I guess.” Adora, clearly unable to stop thinking about it, tried to change the topic. “Do you still want to take a skiff?”

Catra sighed. “Somehow I’m not feeling up to it anymore.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I wanted to stay two chapters ahead of the updates, but I haven't even started chapter 5 yet... I'm too excited to not keep updating though! Gonna try to write ch 5 today. Chapter 4 soon, just might need some polishing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all my wonderful readers!! I think you'll like this chapter ;D

“See, you forgot the one thing you need when exploring a dangerous new realm.”

“Snacks? A first-aid kit? A  _ sword _ ?”

“Um, no. A guide. But we will be bringing snacks! Be right back, I’ll go get them.”

Luz could barely contain her excitement. More accurately, she  _ couldn’t _ contain her excitement, as she squealed with excitement and tapped her feet excitedly. Quicker than Luz expected, Eda returned from the kitchen with a bag slung over her shoulder.

“That was fast."

“I keep a bag full of snacks ready at all times. Well, actually, it’s my go bag in case the Emperor’s Coven ever shows up and I have to get outta here. But it works for this too!” Eda grabbed her staff and vanished it, ready to draw it back out later. “Now let’s go.”

Once in the basement, Eda noticed Luz eyeing the key on the wall excitedly.

“Wanna do the honors? You already did earlier, but-”

“Yes! Oh my goodness.” She grabbed the key off the wall and inserted it into the golden lock, ready for the powerful click it gave as she undid the magical seal. 

Slowly, Luz opened the door, and the two of them looked into the light.

“Well, let’s hope you got somewhere better this time!” Eda chuckled as she stepped through, Luz close on her heel.

The scene the door opened onto was everything Luz had dreamed one of her fantasy worlds would be. The sunlight filtered through the leaves of a thick tangle of grey-wooded trees, translucent pink moss hanging down in sheets from the canopy. Vines with odd, round red leaves draped from some of the branches, and massive, twisted red mushrooms grew from cracks in the tree bark. Bizarre tree-like plants hid in the shade near the trunks, red membranes speckled with blue spots where one would expect leaves to be. Even the more ordinary plants, bushes and ferns, grew strange fruit or had bizarre patterns adorning their leaves.

“Ah, now  _ this _ is more like it,” Eda bragged.

Luz could only manage a, “Wow,” her eyes sparkling as she tried to take it all in.

“Can’t you just feel the magic of it?” Eda touched one of the large red funguses. “It’s in everything.”

“It looks magical.” Luz had her hands plastered to her face in wonder.

“Looks can be deceiving, but this is the real deal. Let’s check it out, huh? Press the key and let’s take the portal with us.”

“Oh, right!”

The eye-shaped button gave a squish that was just noticeable enough to be unsettling, and the portal folded up and vanished.

“At least that works on this side. Maybe we’ll find somewhere to bind it. This is a pretty nice area, don’t ya think?”

“It’s incredible. The plants are so… so  _ weird _ .”

“You think those are weird, wait until you see the animals. There’s this one with really skinny legs and huge horns.”

“A deer?”

“You have them in the human realm?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty common, actually.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure we’ll find something exciting, come on!”

They set off in a random direction, stepping over roots and making their way through the underbrush. Luz relied on Eda to push past any thorns or thick clusters of shrubs, as she was too busy looking around in awe. At one point, she marvelled at a flock of incredibly round, purple birds that took flight as they made their way through a grove of bushes with blueberry-looking fruits the size of apples. Another, a blue dragonfly hovered just inches from Luz’s nose, sitting stationary in the air long enough for her to count that it had  _ eight _ legs, like some sort of flying arachnid. But as they trekked deeper and deeper into the woods, heading in no direction in particular, a growing unease began to settle in.

It had started subtle. A strange feeling as though there were something in the branches, watching her, but the sounds she heard above were easily dismissed as the rustling of animals. Then, behind her, as though they were being followed - it was hard to hear if there were anything at all over them pushing their way through bushes and stepping on fallen leaves. The couple times it had felt closest, Luz looked back nervously, only to see nothing. Further into the woods still, and it was getting harder to dismiss as an overactive imagination. It was above her, beside her, behind her, overlapping sounds she now recognized as unintelligible voices, their whispering quickly building into a silent, cacophonous roar.

“EDA DO YOU HEAR THAT?” Luz blurted out, more as one word than a sentence, as she opened her eyes she had involuntarily squeezed shut.

“Hear what?” Eda turned to her, both concern and confusion on her face.

“The- the  _ whispering _ .” She felt compelled to say it in the same hushed tone as the disembodied voices.

“Oh! Ha, that? There are more than usual, but I thought it was just me!”

“Wait, do you hear whispering in your head  _ all  _ the time?”

“Sure do! I think it’s the voices of the dead, but I’ve never really bothered to find out.”

“What!?”

“Eh, yeah, you put too much nightshade in one oracle potion, and you’re stuck with that for a few years.”

“Oh, geez. I should probably warn Barkus about that…”

“It’s not so bad, once you get used to it. Anyways, I’m sure it’s nothing. Just some spooky magical woods nonsense.”

“Y- yeah… it’s nothing.”

“Don’t worry, a little bit of whispering never hurt anybody. Well, aside from high school, am I ri-? Hey, look, a deer!”

Eda pointed behind Luz, where there was a mint-green… deer? Its body was the right shape, but it had three thick tails, antlers that matched its skin with mushroom-like bulbs on the ends, and three eyes with clover-shaped pupils.

“Wha- what? Okay, that’s not the deer we have in the human realm.” Luz pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the bizarre creature before it looked up at them and ran in the opposite direction. “Wow.”

“I told ya they looked weird! Wanna keep going?”

“Absolutely!” Luz exclaimed, newly invigorated by the magical sighting.

“That’s the spirit!”

They continued on for a while, only pausing a few times to debate over, “Hey, have we passed that tree/rock/giant mushroom already?” As they came to a small clearing, Eda stopped, and put her arm out to signal Luz to do the same.

“Oh, are we taking a break? This does look like a nice place for lunch.”

“No. I mean- yeah, maybe in a minute, but  _ look _ .”

At the other end of the grove, ensnared in a tangle of vines, was a sword that seemed to glow as it caught the scattered sunlight. The blade was forged in a bluish steel engraved with a geometric design, with an ornamental golden hilt that framed the bottom of it. Set in the gold, just below the base of the blade, was a massive blue gem.

Eda grinned as she rubbed her hands together. “I knew I said this  _ could  _ make me rich but I didn’t think it  _ would  _ make me rich.”

The two of them crossed the clearing carefully, as though worried they may scare the sword away, admiring it as they got close. As Eda reached out to grab it, one could almost be convinced the gem was producing a light of its own. Just as her hand grazed the polished metal, the vines surrounding it tightened, pulling the sword underground as they shrunk back into the earth.

“Oh no you don’t, greedy plant!”

Hardly needing a moment to react, Eda drew a wide circle of light in the air above her head and put both her arms out to cast the scrying spell around her. Turning, she could see a faint blue, sword-shaped glow underground just behind her.

“Aha! There you are.”

With another smaller spell circle, the chunk of earth around it began to lift into the air. Just as Eda was about to plunge her hand into the clump of dirt, thorn vines grew up out of the ground to pull it back down, which she quickly disposed of with a fire spell. She wormed her hand into the still-hovering earth until she felt the cool metal of the sword hilt, and the dirt dropped back to the ground as she yanked it out.

“Nice try, plant, but it’s mine! Oh, I knew we’d find something good.”

Luz looked impressed, if a little concerned. “Eda, do you think maybe there’s a reason the vines were trying to protect the sword?”

“Um, because it’s awesome and super shiny? But it’s mine now!”

In the distance, as if a challenge, came a loud rumbling, accompanied by the sound of the forest undergrowth being crushed. Luz scrambled to Eda’s side, barely peeking out from behind her.

“Get the portal ready.”

She gave a quick nod Eda couldn’t see and pressed the key. Behind them, the door materialized and unfolded into its full size.

“Shouldn’t we go? Now!?” Luz shouted as the ground began to shake.

“One sec, I wanna see what this thing is.”

Luz, not looking to become lunch, opened the door and hid behind it, just in front of the magical gateway, as she nervously peered in the direction of the thundering creature. In front of her, Eda was standing perfectly still - save for her thumb, which fidgeted over her knuckles, white from her tight grasp on the sword. Luz was considering grabbing Eda and pulling her through the portal when it emerged.

A massive bug - at least twenty feet tall - with glowing blue eyes and legs that seemed better designed for sawing than walking, burst into the clearing. Through its legs was visible the path of trampled foliage, which included multiple felled trees. It rose to its full height and revealed its rows of serrated teeth as it opened its mouth to let out a deafening shriek.

“Yep, fuck that!” Eda shouted, barely audible over the wailing.

The beast barreled towards them, and before Luz could jump through herself, she was shoved through the portal by Eda, who tumbled after her. Falling out the other side, the sword clattered as it hit the cold basement floor, followed by Luz and Eda - a relieving feeling, all things considered.

Running on pure adrenaline, Eda kicked the door shut, and Luz sprang up from the floor to lock it. Panting and bruised, both their gazes soon turned to the sword. Eda picked it up from the floor and turned it over in her hand, watching the way the candlelight of the basement flickered off its glittering metals.

“Not a scratch on it. This sword sure is something, huh?”


	5. Chapter 5

Given that Luz had now been chased back through the portal in a panic twice that day, she decided that was more than enough terrifying fantasy adventure for the time being.

Eda, content with her loot, was inclined to agree. “I’ll build a stand for it. Should look pretty _sharp_ on the mantle.”

Luz just rolled her eyes at the pun, but Eda was right. The sword was _gorgeous_. Every bit of it had been intricately crafted. The metal of the hilt was too strong to actually be gold, but it had just as brilliant a luster. Into the grip was etched ridges that looked like overlapping feathers of metal. The guard looked like outstretched wings, with another pair of wings framing the base of the blade. Taken as a whole, the design served to draw one’s attention right to its center, where that gem remained the same, shimmering blue despite the dim light.

Holding it, which Eda hesitantly allowed Luz to do, it was far lighter than it appeared, even accounting for the material cut away in the carved, geometric pattern that splintered off from the blade’s fuller. No matter how Luz held it, with one-hand as intended or with two like a miniature longsword - which was more appropriate for her size - it felt perfectly balanced, as though the sword were able to redistribute its weight however the wielder needed.

Regardless of how strangely effortlessly Luz was able to manage the blade, Eda made her leave it downstairs. Already feeling a bit on thin ice from earlier, despite Eda having insisted she wasn’t mad, Luz complied with little complaint. Also, there was a pretty good chance King would become enamored with it, so it was best to leave it where he wouldn’t bother going.

After hanging up the key and closing the basement, Eda prepared them some medicinal tea from herbs she had lying around. It wouldn’t heal their bruises outright, but it dulled the pain and helped along the healing process.

“Calming, too. I know I’ve still got the creeps from that bug thing.”

“No kidding,” Luz replied. “What was it?”

“I’m not sure, I’ve never seen anything like that before. It didn’t look like any of the other animals. But, if we’re lucky, we won’t see one again.”

“I hope not.”

  
  


At school the next day, it took all Luz’s self-control to not blab to her friends about the portal, about her two daring - if not always lengthy - adventures. Eda had trusted her with a secret, and she was determined to keep it. Even if it _was_ more interesting and less frustrating than whatever Penstagram drama Amity was complaining about Boscha starting.

It was her usual suite of classes that day, so a bit of everything. Thanks to her cross-track schedule, she had a couple classes with her friends - Horticulture with Willow, Practical Illusions with Gus, and Intermediate Abominations with Amity. Never mind that she had never technically _made_ an abomination, she was mostly there to look for any glyphs inside them, which was proving harder than she expected. Though, honestly, that was what she did in just about all her classes - once she found a glyph, the spell itself was never hard. Unfortunately, for some reason it was much harder to capture the spell circles of any witches besides Eda with her phone’s camera. Luz didn’t mind too much, though - there was a sense of pride in hunting down a glyph herself. Her teacher for Splatter Potions even let her work at imbuing her potions with various other magics using glyphs, though they made her test them _outside_ after a particularly explosive trial early on - involving a plant glyph, rather than a fire one, oddly enough.

All that to say, Luz had an _excellent_ day at school. She even got to make a small ice-imbued potion to bring home and show Eda her latest achievement in mixing magic. After the final bell, she spent a bit chatting with Amity, Willow, and Gus before walking home, humming to herself.

When Luz got home, Eda was waiting for her. (Hooty was as well, but he was _always_ waiting for someone to show up and talk to him.) She had a packed camping backpack slung over her shoulders, her staff in hand like a walking stick, and was wearing a coat similar to the one she had worn to the Knee, but much more light-weight.

“Ready for adventure, kiddo?”

* * *

After the incident with Shadow Weaver, a deflated Adora and Catra decided to just return to the barracks and rest. No one else was around, occupied with their day off and doing whatever resembling fun could be found in the Fright Zone. Away from the military and industrial hub, on the outskirts of the harsh city, were myriad illicit activities: gambling, animal fighting, contraband markets. Catra and Adora had never been interested in anything of the sort, which was fortunate; if they were to make a habit of going, being under Shadow Weaver’s watchful eye, they were sure to be found out.

And so, while their fellow soldiers were out committing debaucheries in a red-lit haze, the pair flopped back into their bed. Well, _Adora’s_ bed, which Catra slept at the foot of most nights - save for the times the nightmares flared up and she curled right beside Adora, sheathed-clawed hands curled against her best friend’s back. The fact that they occasionally woke up in each other’s arms was an open secret, and the other cadets silently agreed to not pry into whatever was going on with _that_ . Also, childhood doodles of the both of them were scrawled by the headboard, so yeah, maybe it was _their_ bed.

In their bed, sat beside each other with bodies not touching but only just, they whittled away the hours until dinner rations were served. The atmosphere was sour at first given the reprimand they had received, but they both knew the way to lift the other’s mood. Joking, teasing, complaining - and a couple times getting just shy of earnest, vulnerable conversation, which they were quick to turn around with an “anyways” or a quip and the fleeting touch of a playful shove.

Eventually, the bell for dinner sounded. With any luck, the rest of the cadets wouldn’t return for a long time still, instead taking the opportunity to gorge themselves on overpriced food smuggled from the outside. That way, Catra and Adora could remain a bit longer in their own world, a world occupied only by the two of them.

It _was_ the grey kind tonight, so maybe luck was on their side.

  
  


They were up early the next day, by obligation rising before the sun - though it wasn’t as if they could see the sun from their sleeping quarters, it being a windowless room buried in an annex of the Horde’s chaotic military headquarters. Adora woke almost immediately when the light above her bed switched on at 6 AM as scheduled. Lifting her head from her pillow, she could see Catra curled up at the end of the bed, still asleep, resting above the covers on top of Adora’s feet, body gently rising and falling with each breath. Adora smiled softly, always finding it endearing to watch Catra sleep. She tried to not worry about whether that was creepy - seeing Catra so comfortable was just _cute_ , a thing Catra tried very hard to not be when she was awake ( _though with little success_ , as Adora often noticed.)

The other cadets in the room were in varying states of begrudged half-sleep. Many had returned to the bunks later than usual, and some no doubt were fighting headaches resulting from poor, intoxicated sleep. Adora, despite facing no such trouble, pulled the covers up and rolled on her side - taking care to not move her legs too much - and decided to enjoy a few minutes more rest before everyone had to be out of bed. She chased the fragments of dream, one of the Woods, of the satisfaction of combat, of the fulfillment of facing it with Catra at her side, facsimile memories already crumbling as wakefulness crept upon her.

Several minutes passed before she woke up properly and nudged Catra awake with a wiggle of her trapped foot, who responded by groaning and hugging a bundle of the thin bed sheet to her chest. Adora slipped out from under Catra, waking her for real, and did a simple stretch beside the bed. Behind her, Catra sat up on the bed with a yawn, blinking away the remaining fog of sleep. As always, a day of training awaited them.

  
  


It was, for the most part, the usual drills that day. Warm-ups before breakfast, consisting of stretches and a jog around the cracked rubber track of the cadet gym. Meal rations were handed out - the brown kind - and twenty minutes provided to eat. Then, endurance running, strength training, a brief refresher on combat tactics, and sparring. The only positive of the day as compared to any other was agility, which some dreaded, but Catra and Adora _loved_. Pairs would race through an obstacle course, competing with both each other and the whole training group for the best time. Lonnie went up against Kyle and finished well ahead of him (falling off the climbing wall had certainly done his time no favors.) Rogelio, who was racing a member of a different squad, nearly got stuck in the barbed wire crawl. This was about the only part of anyone else’s run Adora and Catra noticed, as they spent most of the time chatting with each other, which was one of two reasons they loved this activity.

The other reason, of course, was that they always raced each other. It was no secret they had a rivalry - not despite, but because of, their closeness - when it came to anything in training that could be quantified. Adora was the stronger of the two without question, though Catra put up a significant fight for her slender size. In speed, they were about evenly matched, consistently trading wins around the track or in sprints. Agility, however? Catra _dominated_ . Adora had the strength to practically throw herself up the climbing wall, the pain tolerance to drag her body low and fast under the barbed wire, the speed for the short hurdles, and the grace of an overturned tortoise. Though she had improved over the years, there was always at least _one_ slip-up that gave Catra the definite edge: a wobble on the log balance, hesitation at a jump, a misplaced limb on the rope climb. On her perfect runs, Adora had managed to best Catra once or twice, but Catra’s reflexes and dexterity made sure no one else had ever managed the task.

When her time was announced at the end of training, there were groans from the other squads, who had the misfortune of being up against an unbeatable opponent. Adora, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio always knew to expect that victory, even taking pride in being in the same squad. Even Shadow Weaver had given Catra compliments on her skill in the past after hearing of her personal bests. Shadow Weaver, who, despite yelling at them the day prior, made no indication of still being irritated about it when Adora and Catra saluted her passing in the hall later that day.

Which was to say, it was actually a pretty good day so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: *disappears for two weeks after a major plot development*  
> also me: *returns with Horde Catradora fluff*
> 
> Let's see if Catra and Adora's good day lasts, hm?
> 
> Dec 13: Chapter 6 done and awaiting edits! Expect it tomorrow or Tuesday.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised this yesterday at the latest but it totally slipped my mind, sorry!! o(_ _)o  
> Also, it actually happened last chapter, but this is now my longest continuous work! 10k words, baby!!

“Adventure? You mean Etheria? Right now?” Luz questioned.

“Yep! I’m all ready, what about you?” It was uncharacteristic of Eda to be so prepared for their escapades, so she must have been antsy to explore more.

“Uh, let me put my school stuff away.”

“Well hurry, or I may leave without you.”

“You would do that?”

“Of course not!”

“Oh, heh, right,” Luz chuckled as she dipped into her room. She took her school books out, telling herself she didn’t have  _ that _ much homework, there would be plenty of time when they got back. What else would she need? Eda seemed to have everything handled, so Luz decided the things already in her bag were plenty: her notebook of glyphs (possibly useless in Etheria), her phone, a water bottle, and the potion from class.

Eda was waiting expectantly by the already-open basement stairs. With dramatic flourish, she gestured for Luz to go ahead. The duo descended to the basement, where Eda confidently unlocked the door to Etheria.

“I’ve got a good feeling about this one,” Eda said before stepping through the light, Luz close behind.

The location the door opened onto was dim and dank, lit more by the magical glow of the portal than by the ceiling lights. Walls, floor, and ceiling were all a dull green.

“Never mind, I rescind my feeling.”

“This is where it took me the first time.” Luz glanced around a bit more. “Well, it was a different room, but this has to be the same place.”

“Or, a lot of people here have a terrible sense of interior design. Green concrete? Isn’t that more effort than grey concrete?” Eda quipped.

“You know, we should probably just go. This didn’t turn out very well last time.” She was gripping the frame of the door, ready to fall back through at a moment’s notice.

“And lose this chance? This is our opportunity to figure out what this place is. Besides, you have nothing to worry about as long as I’m here.”

The sideroom they found themselves in opened directly onto the hall outside, and was obviously intended to serve as something other than the storage it seemingly had become. Eda crept forward to peer out. Luz, tentatively releasing her grip on the portal, followed.

The hall outside was empty, but completely open. If they left this room, there would be nowhere to hide if someone showed up. They both pulled away from the doorframe, having had the same realization. Luz nervously eyed the portal, and was about to try to convince Eda to leave again, when she noticed something against the wall.

On top of a stack of random boxes, there was a futuristic, grey helmet with green visor.

“I think I know how we can get around.” That got Eda’s attention, and Luz pointed at the helmet. “Check that out.”

“Hey hey, nice one, kid.”

* * *

Catra and Adora were sitting on the floor in the hall, not far from the locker room they had just changed in, trying to have a conversation and enjoy a moment of rest after a day of training. Adora hadn’t noticed anything amiss, but Catra with her more tuned senses had heard the rustling and clattering of someone digging through a storage closet as soon as it started. And it had been going on for a good ten minutes since.

Catra growled, “Ugh, you  _ seriously _ can’t hear that? It’s so annoying.”

“Nope, nothing.” Adora shrugged.

“Well, can we go shout at them to keep it down anyways?”

“Yeah, sure.”

The sound was coming from a couple halls down, in what was  _ supposed  _ to be a breakroom. But the Horde had far more junk than breaks, so it had become a storage closet. Inside, back facing the door, was the same girl in the hoodie from before, as well as a woman with striking grey-white hair. They were rifling through boxes of forgotten ordinances in the far corner of the room, and on the floor nearby were two soldier’s helmets and a pair of leg armor. The otherworldly door Adora and Catra had seen vanish was standing at its full size, the massive eye on it seeming to watch them. It was on the complete opposite side of the room from the intruders.

Adora, always more brave than brain, charged in, with Catra close behind.

“Hey! Stop right there!”

Nearly instantly, the woman had spun around, shielding the kid with her body and gripping tightly onto a staff that had appeared in her outstretched hand.

“Get outta here, Luz.”

“No, I can help!” the kid - Luz, apparently - insisted, rummaging through the pack slung over her shoulder.

Adora was nearly on them when, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, a blast of cold air hit and the floor beneath her turned to ice. She slipped forward, barely managing to prevent her face slamming into the floor. The intruders jumped out of the way as Adora skittered into a pile of boxes.

The lady smirked, “Niiice.”

“Watch out, Eda!” Luz yelled.

The warning came a moment too late, as Catra leapt over the ice slick on all fours and tackled her.

Eda shrieked as claws dug into her shoulders and she fell, her wooden staff slipping from her grip and rolling across the room. Now pinned, she managed to lift her arm to draw a small circle pointed at Catra, who barely dodged the resulting blast of fire but did not lighten her grip.

Luz, gaze split between her mentor held to the ground and Adora rising to her feet, scrambled to the magical door and slammed it behind her as she went through.

“She went through that portal-thing!”

“So go after her!” Catra shouted, taking a jab to the side as Eda retrieved her staff with a quick spell.

“What!? We don’t know what’s on the other side!”

Adora’s chance to consider any further was cut off as Luz burst back through the portal, yelling.

“I’ll save you, Eda!”

And she was wielding a  _ sword _ , held over her shoulder like an axe, as she charged.

“What the-!?” Adora had yet to process what had even just  _ happened _ when her instincts kicked in, and she dodged to the right as the blade came down, clumsily but hard, where she had just been standing.

“She’s got a sword!” 

“Yes, I do!” Luz shouted.

“Well,” Catra shot back as she grabbed Eda’s wrist to interrupt another spell, “this one’s got  _ fire _ , so figure it out!”

Adora easily stepped out of the way of another heavy-handed swipe and used the opening to sweep Luz’s legs out from under her. She almost felt bad, using her lifetime of military training to fight some kid. But to be fair, it was some kid with a sword, which was dangerous to everyone involved. As Adora grabbed a toppled Luz’s hand, attempting to wrest the sword away, her fingers glossed over the smooth metal hilt.

She crumpled to the ground, barely hearing Catra shout her name in panic, as she was overwhelmed by a blue light and a vision.

  
  


Scenes she had no understanding of, yet which she felt the weight of in her very being, flashed before her.

Etheria - somehow she knew it was their planet - seen from beyond its atmosphere, surrounded by a sea of thousands of white lights.

A beacon of light upon a cliff overlooking the forest below.

A glimmering, pink stone suspended above an ornate tower.

Over it all, an ethereal yet monotonous voice spoke.  _ Balance must be restored _ .

The sword she had just touched, enveloped by an impossible glow.

A crumbling monolith in the Whispering Woods, overgrown with dark vines and roots.

A massive woman, shimmering blonde hair and red cape billowing in the wind, clothed in brilliant white and gold trim, holding the sword. Her eyes, full of nothing but blue light, drilling into Adora.

_ Etheria must seek a hero. _

A woman with broad, almost square shoulders, blue skin blending into her purple cloak, unmoving mouth turned downwards in what seemed either judgement or sorrow.

And then the voice was begging, pleading her name.  _ Adora. Adora. _

A baby’s cry echoed in the distance.

  
  


Adora woke to her name.

“Adora, Adora!”

Her eyes opened weakly. “Catra?”

“Adora, they’re getting away!”

Awareness and adrenaline shot through her veins, the fog in her mind evaporating with it. Looking over, she saw the glint of the sword vanish into the portal’s light, carried by the kid. “We have to get that sword.”

“The sword?”

“It’s powerful. I- I can’t explain, but I can feel it.”

“Well, we have to get them, too! Come on!”

Catra pulled Adora up by her hand, nearly dragging her as they ran for the portal. The grey-haired lady was going through, trying to pull it shut behind her. Catra grabbed the door, digging her claws into the wood, and yanked it back open. The handle slipped from the woman’s grasp. Adora trailing behind, Catra rushing ahead, hands still clasped together, they disappeared through the portal.

  
  


What none saw was Shadow Weaver, drawn by the commotion and the unmistakable shouting of Adora and Catra, reaching the scene of the fight just in time to see the portal in full, witnessing it fold into nothing right before her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurs to me I have taken 10k words to reach the equivalent of events which happened, uh, halfway through episode one? I _think_ the pace should pick up from here, though!
> 
> 2021-01-04: I know it's been almost three weeks since an update, sorry! I got distracted by another AU ~~which I think is really good but I'm not gonna publish for a while oops~~ and also just haven't been as motivated to write. BUT! There's a short chapter coming out soon, hopefully tomorrow! It's written and just needs final revisions.


	7. Chapter 7

Adora and Catra stumbled out of the portal onto the cobbled floor of a candle-lit room. The sudden rush of vertigo would have caused Catra to fall, save for the adrenaline driving her forward as her gaze locked onto Eda. Adora’s was trained on the sword, still held by the kid - Luz was her name, probably. Reality still hadn’t fully come back to her.

With a flick of her finger, Eda pulled the sword from Luz’s hand, trading it for the golden key she held.

“You want it? Come get it!” she shouted, thundering up the stairs and around the corner.

Both Adora and Catra took off after her, and the whole house shook with the three pairs of frantic footsteps.

Catra, a few steps behind Adora, had just reached the top of the stairs when Eda yelled a command across the house.

“Luz! Lock the portal!”

“Don’t you dare!” Catra growled, nearly slipping as she turned in place to dash back down the stairs. She didn’t know what locking it would do, but it sounded bad to her.

Luz heard the footsteps reverse direction and, holding the key firmly in her hand, she slammed the door shut and locked it with barely a moment to spare. Catra came barreling off the downstairs landing and, with a frenzied yell, dug her claws into the wood, realizing she was too late.

“I’ll deal with  _ you _ later,” she threatened, and the venom dripping from her words alone made Luz flinch in fear, despite Catra running away, back upstairs.

Luz pocketed the key and ran after, pulling her pad of glyphs from her bag as she did. Before she could follow Catra into the living room, she heard King shout from the upstairs ledge behind her.

“Luz! What is going on!?”

“Um, it’s-” she was rifling through her spellbook for an ice glyph. “It’s complicated!? Just stay up there!” She didn’t wait for his response to keep running.

He looked over the two-story drop into the basement. “Even if I had a choice, I would!”

Luz found a chaotic scene playing out in the living room. Eda was running across the room, sword held above her head in one hand, launching spells for her pursuers to dodge with the other. They were closing in, cornering her against the couch, but Eda leapt onto it and rode the back down as it toppled over, barely evading capture again. Adora and Catra were too focused on catching Eda to notice Luz, who dashed into the fray and threw an ice glyph onto the floor in front of her.

At least, they didn’t notice until Luz shouted, “Hey, cat-face! Freeze!” and slammed her hand down.

Catra had barely turned to react when a spear of ice pierced her belt and lifted her off the ground with a yelp. She flailed uselessly, scratching at her belt in an attempt to unhook it.

“Hey, let me down!”

Without thinking, Eda spun around to see what had happened, giving Adora just enough time to surge forward and grab the hilt of the sword.

  
  


This vision came to her more fragmented than the last. The same voice as before spoke, but it was distant and corrupted.

_ A- _

_ -ra. _

_ Ador-. _

**_Adora._ **

Scenes flashed, more as feelings than images.

Safety.

Destruction.

_ The sword- _

Power.

Hope.

- _ for you- _

Purpose.

Loss.

Crying pierced broken words.

_ -fight for- _

_ -ayskull. _

_ Will you- _

_ -honor of Gray- _

It was enough to connect the pieces.

  
  


“For the honor of Grayskull!”

A blue light pierced the room and a golden warmth flooded Adora’s body, radiating from her as a brilliant glow. When she came to, she was still standing. The sword, firmly in hand, felt larger - as did Adora herself, now towering over everything in the room and overwhelmed by the power she felt. 

“Adora!?” Catra screeched, desperately struggling to free herself. With one hard swipe, she tore through the leather of her belt, scrambling to run to Adora’s side before her feet had even hit the floor.

Eda was sprawled across the floor a couple feet away, having tripped over herself in surprise when her pursuer turned into a blinding beacon of light.

“Luz, do you-” were the only words she could manage.

“Yeah, I see her.” Luz stood across the room, mouth agape, notebook of glyphs dropped in her stupor.

Catra grabbed Adora’s free arm, nearly digging her claws in on accident. The muscle was harder than seemed possible, more like wrought metal than flesh.

“Adora! What just happened!?”

Looking down - way further down than usual - to lock gaze with Catra’s panicked, mismatched eyes broke Adora from her trance. She stumbled backwards with a yell, pulling Catra down on top of her as she fell, and the sword slipped from her grasp. With a brief flash of light, both her and the sword shrank back down to usual size as they hit the ground.

“What was that!?” Adora shouted, despite Catra being directly in front of her.

“You expect me to know? You’re the one who just turned into some kinda warrior goddess!”

“I didn’t mean to! _ ” _

“Hold on, hold on-” Eda interjected. “You shout some catchphrase and then,” she mimed an explosion with her hands, “fwoosh, you’re eight feet tall and glowing. But it was an  _ accident _ ?”

“It was instinct! I heard a voice and-”

Adora could see Eda was eyeing the sword and - remembering what she had heard in the vision - placed her hand down over its hilt.

“-they said the sword was  _ for me _ .”

Eda scowled, knowing there was no hope in fighting that claim.

Adora took a few deep breaths, steadying herself, before signaling for Catra to stand with a light tap. She grabbed the sword, digging its point into the wooden floor as she used it to push herself up off the ground. With decisive steps, she walked to stand over Eda, who was still sprawled on the ground.

Luz looked on in fear, pinned in place by Catra’s menacing gaze, as Adora loomed over her teacher.

“So, now that that’s settled,” Adora said, grit in her voice as she pointed the sword at Eda’s neck, “you’re going to answer some questions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaack, sorry this is a shorter one! I already added all this to the A/N of the last chapter, but I haven't had as much motivation to write and I got distracted by writing on another AU (which will not be coming out for a while). I've already got part of next chapter written, though!


End file.
